DistantJob is the best option for companies hiring a full-time dedicated developer long-term. Upwork is a freelance marketplace suited to short-term projects with no vetting. Arc.dev sits in between, offering pre-vetted freelancers and some full-time options. If you need a developer who joins your team exclusively and permanently, DistantJob is the only one of the three built specifically for that model.
When it comes to choosing among Upwork, Arc.dev, and DistantJob, the main difference lies in the question: are you interested in hiring a freelancer for short-term projects or someone who can become a true part of your company? All three options work with remote developers, but they offer very different models, and the wrong choice will mean that you will either work with a company that will overcharge you to find a full-time relationship or will give you a transactional freelancer who in some cases will treat your company as a side hustle.
This guide breaks down pricing, vetting, hiring timelines, and employment type so you can make the right call for your specific situation.
Quick Comparison: Upwork vs Arc.dev vs DistantJob
| Upwork | Arc.dev | DistantJob | |
| Model | Freelance marketplace | Pre-vetted developer marketplace | Dedicated remote staffing agency |
| Contract Type | Freelance / project-based | Freelance or full-time | Full-time, long-term only |
| Developer Cost | $15–$100+/hr (self-set) | $60–$110/hr | $40k–$70k/yr salary (direct negotiation) |
| Time to First Candidate | Immediate (you search yourself) | 24–72 hours | 10 business days |
| Vetting Process | None (Expert-Vetted top 1% optional) | Multi-stage: skills, communication, background check | 3-tier: headhunting, technical + soft skills, account manager validation |
| Exclusivity | Freelancer has multiple clients | Varies by contract type | Developer works exclusively for you |
| Guarantee | Dispute mediation only | 3-month trial (full-time), 2-week trial (freelance) | Cancel anytime; replacement found or money back |
| HR Services | Payroll processing only | IP protection, NDAs | Full HR: payroll, legal, morale reports, onboarding |
| Founded | 2015 | 2014 | 2009 |
| Best For | Short-term projects, tight budgets | Pre-vetted freelancers or contract roles | Companies hiring a permanent remote team member |
Platform Overview
1. DistantJob: Dedicated Remote Hiring for Full-Time Developers
DistantJob is a remote recruitment and staffing agency founded in 2009, specializing exclusively in placing full-time IT developers for North American companies.
Unlike marketplaces where you browse profiles, DistantJob actively headhunts candidates — targeting senior passive talent in Eastern Europe and Latin America who aren’t actively job-seeking.
The model is built for companies that want a developer to join their team permanently, not a contractor juggling multiple clients. DistantJob handles the full hiring lifecycle: sourcing, vetting, onboarding, and ongoing HR management including payroll, legal compliance, and morale tracking.
What clients have to say:
“Working with DistantJob made everything about recruiting a highly technical employee easier and cost-effective”
– Stuart Dow, Managing Director at Upaknee
💡Read Upaknee’s case study
2. Upwork: The Freelance Marketplace
Upwork is the world’s largest freelance marketplace, connecting companies with independent contractors across every discipline. With over 5 million clients, it offers unmatched breadth — you can hire a developer within hours for almost any technology stack.
The tradeoff is quality control. Upwork has no formal vetting process for standard listings. You receive proposals from anyone who applies, and screening is entirely your responsibility. The Expert-Vetted program covers only the top 1% and requires a separate application. For companies that need a reliable long-term developer, Upwork’s model introduces significant uncertainty.
3. Arc.Dev: Pre-Vetted Developer Marketplace
Arc.dev positions itself between Upwork’s open marketplace and DistantJob’s staffing agency model. All developers are pre-vetted through a multi-stage process covering technical skills, communication, and background checks — which means you’re starting from a higher baseline than Upwork.
Arc supports both freelance and full-time contracts, giving it more flexibility than DistantJob. The tradeoff is that full-time developers on Arc are still marketplace-sourced rather than headhunted, and the ongoing HR support DistantJob provides is not part of the model.
What client’s have to say:
“It’s rare to find developers who are as skilled on the front-end as they are on the back-end. Yet, there seems to be quite a few on the [Arc] platform, which I think speaks highly of the vetting process.”
– Guilio Chiarenza, Equipboard Co-founder
Pricing: How Much Does Each Platform Cost?
Pricing is one of the factors that significantly influence your choice of where to hire remote developers. The idea of implementing a platform to help you match candidates is not only to get access to top-tier talent but also to reduce costs.
Let’s compare Upwork vs Arc vs DistantJob in terms of their hiring costs.
DistantJob Pricing
DistantJob adopts a transparent pricing model that primarily revolves around a recruitment fee, covering meticulous headhunting and vetting processes, along with comprehensive HR services to address the legal aspects of remote hiring.
The cost of hiring developers is influenced by factors such as location and experience, with competitive rates that allow businesses to secure top-tier developers while staying within their budgetary constraints.
Clients and DistantJob collaborate on salary discussions with candidates. Subsequently, clients take charge of the payments and financial transactions involved in the hiring process for full-time developers. Additionally, the platform doesn’t charge initial fees – you only pay when you hire.
Upwork Pricing
While posting jobs or projects on Upwork is free, the platform provides a dual approach to hiring. Clients can either wait for interested freelancers to present bids after posting a job or project, or they can proactively search Upwork’s Talent Marketplace for developers who align with their requirements in terms of skills and hourly rate.
The variability in Upwork fees is influenced by the project’s scope due to the combination of a bidding system and a marketplace.
When utilizing Upwork for hiring freelancers, clients are subject to a 3% Client Marketplace Fee on all payments made for fixed-price and hourly jobs, Project Catalog projects, bonuses, and BYO contracts.
Additionally, there is a one-time contract initiation fee, which can be up to $4.95 USD for each new Marketplace and Project Catalog contract.
Arc. Dev Pricing
When hiring developers through Arc, companies are required to make a $300 deposit to initiate the process. Arc doesn’t charge additional processing fees. The platform allows developers to set their own rates, and companies decide whether to take them or not.
Vetting Process: How Are Developers Screened?
How Does DistantJob Vet Developers?
DistantJob uses a 3-tier vetting process. First, the headhunting team identifies passive candidates matching your exact technical and cultural profile. Second, the recruitment team conducts technical tests, soft skills evaluation, and background checks. Third, an account manager validates the shortlist before presenting 1–3 candidates. 80% of clients hire from this first batch, and the full process takes under 10 business days.
A key distinction: DistantJob reaches out to individuals who are not actively looking for a job and generally don’t register with hiring platforms. These are fully employed top senior people. This differentiates our company from others that target only active job seekers because some of the most active job seekers are somehow desperate or low performers at their current job.
How Does Upwork Vet Developers?
Upwork does not have a formal vetting process for standard listings. Freelancers self-report skills and experience, and clients evaluate candidates based on portfolios, work history, and reviews. Upwork’s Expert-Vetted program screens the top 1% through technical and soft skills assessment, but this applies to a small subset of the marketplace and must be explicitly sought out.
For most hires on Upwork, the vetting responsibility lies entirely with the client.
How Does Arc.dev Vet Developers?
Arc.dev runs a transparent multi-stage vetting process covering communication skills, technical assessment, and background checks. The process ensures clients receive pre-qualified candidates rather than unfiltered applications. Arc publishes its vetting criteria, making it easier to understand what standards developers have met before you see their profile.
💡Interesting Read: Toptal Alternatives for Finding Developers
Trial Periods and Guarantees
Trial periods come in handy for companies who want to ensure that their hiring decision is the best one. It’s also a time when candidates accommodate to the company and their role. However, not all platforms offer trial periods per se but do offer other types of guarantees.
Does DistantJob Offer a Trial Period?
DistantJob does not use a traditional trial period. Instead, clients can terminate the contract with a developer at any point. If DistantJob cannot find a suitable replacement, they refund the client for unworked time. This open-ended guarantee is designed for long-term hires where a fixed trial window doesn’t reflect how a working relationship actually develops.
Does Upwork Offer a Trial Period?
Upwork does not have a formal trial period. Clients and freelancers negotiate project terms independently, including milestones and payment schedules. A common workaround is to start with a small paid task to evaluate performance before committing to a larger scope.
Does Arc.dev Offer a Trial Period?
Arc offers a trial period depending on the contract you’re making with developers. If you’re hiring a developer permanently, Arc offers a three-month trial period. For freelance developers, Arc offers a trial period of two weeks.
Employment Model: Full-Time vs Freelance
Understanding the type of employment relationships between Upwork vs Arc vs DistantJob will also help you define which type of service you’re looking for. Depending on your needs, you might require developers to work for part-time or per hour projects or you’ll need someone who can be fully available for your team. This choice can determine which platform is right for you.
Does DistantJob Hire Full-Time or Freelance Developers?
DistantJob exclusively places full-time dedicated developers. The developer works only for your company, not split across multiple clients. DistantJob does not support freelance, part-time, or project-based engagements. This model is designed for companies that need a developer integrated into their team and culture for the long term.
What Employment Types Does Upwork Support?
Upwork is built primarily for freelance and project-based work. Developers are independent contractors who typically work across multiple clients simultaneously. Upwork also supports longer-term contracts, but there is no exclusivity by default, a developer working “full-time” on Upwork may be billing 20 hours to your project and 20 to another.
What Employment Types Does Arc.dev Support?
Arc’s employment model adapts to both full-time and project-based roles. You can hire developers for any duration and development role including permanent full-time or contract/freelance roles.
Ongoing Support and HR Services
What Additional Services Does DistantJob Provide?
Beyond placement, DistantJob provides full HR management for the hired developer: payroll processing, legal compliance, onboarding coordination, conflict mediation, morale and performance reports, and vacation management. Clients have a dedicated account manager throughout the relationship — not just during the hire.
What Support Does Upwork Provide?
Upwork offers customer support via live chat and email, plus a dispute mediation service for fixed-price contracts under its Fixed-Price Protection program. The platform provides payroll management for freelancers. There is no account management or HR support beyond the platform’s built-in tools.
What Support Does Arc.dev Provide?
Arc provides client satisfaction support and will reassign a developer if the match doesn’t work out within the guarantee period. Arc enforces IP protection and confidentiality through NDAs with all developers. There is no ongoing HR service equivalent to what DistantJob offers.
Which Platform Should You Choose?
| Choose Upwork if… | Choose Arc.dev if… | Choose DistantJob if… |
| You need a developer permanently on your team. You want someone who works exclusively for you. You want salary-based cost vs hourly billing. You want HR handled after the hire, not just during it. | You need a developer for a specific short-term project. Budget is the primary constraint. You’re comfortable doing your own vetting. You need someone to start this week. | You need a developer permanently on your team. You want someone who works exclusively for you. You want salary-based cost vs hourly billing. You want HR handled after the hire, not just during it. |
All of these platforms are suitable to help you hire a remote developer. However, some might adjust to your needs better than others. Let’s go over the strong points and advantages of each of these platforms to help you make a clearer decision.
Important: If you need a freelancer for a 2-week project, DistantJob is not the right choice — it doesn’t support that model. Upwork or Arc will serve you better. DistantJob is built specifically for companies making a long-term hire.
Start Your Hiring Process Today!
Hiring software developers it’s always challenging, especially when you don’t have the resources or time to make a curated hiring and vetting process that will ensure you have the best talent.
The good news is that different platforms, from freelance marketplaces to specialized recruitment agencies, are ready to give you a hand. Deciding between Upwork vs Arc vs DistantJob will ultimately depend on your needs and the type of candidate you’re looking for.
If you want to know more about the advantages of hassle-free global recruitment, book a call with us.
Frequently Asked Questions
DistantJob is better than Upwork for companies hiring a full-time dedicated developer. Upwork is better for short-term freelance work. DistantJob headhunts passive senior candidates, conducts a 3-tier vetting process, and provides ongoing HR management — none of which Upwork offers. Upwork has no vetting process for standard listings and developers work across multiple clients simultaneously.
Arc.dev is a pre-vetted marketplace where developers apply and are screened before being listed. DistantJob is a staffing agency that actively headhunts candidates on your behalf. Arc supports both freelance and full-time contracts; DistantJob supports full-time only. DistantJob also provides ongoing HR services after placement, which Arc does not.
For short-term work, Upwork is cheapest with rates starting around $15/hr. For full-time hires, DistantJob typically results in the lowest annual cost — a senior developer placed in Eastern Europe or Latin America earns $40,000–$70,000/year, compared to $125,000+ at Arc’s hourly rates for equivalent seniority. The comparison depends entirely on whether you need hourly or full-time.
No. DistantJob exclusively places full-time dedicated developers. If you need a freelancer for a project-based engagement or short-term contract, Arc.dev or Upwork are more appropriate. DistantJob’s model is designed for companies making a long-term permanent hire.
Upwork is the fastest — you can browse and contact developers immediately, with hires possible within 24 hours. Arc delivers a shortlist of pre-vetted candidates within 24–72 hours. DistantJob takes approximately 10 business days to present the first batch of candidates, reflecting a more thorough headhunting and vetting process. 80% of DistantJob clients hire from this first batch.
DistantJob has the most rigorous vetting process of the three, combining headhunting for passive candidates, technical assessment, soft skills evaluation, background checks, and account manager validation. Arc.dev has a transparent multi-stage vetting process that covers technical and communication skills. Upwork has no formal vetting for standard listings; the Expert-Vetted program covers only the top 1%.
Yes, all three platforms include Eastern European developers. DistantJob specializes in sourcing senior talent from Romania, Poland, Ukraine, and other Eastern European countries, as well as Latin America. Arc.dev and Upwork have global talent pools that include Eastern Europe, though you would need to filter by location yourself on those platforms.
DistantJob allows clients to terminate the contract at any point. If the relationship ends, DistantJob will search for a replacement developer at no additional recruitment fee. If a suitable replacement cannot be found, DistantJob provides a refund for unworked time. There is no fixed trial window — the guarantee applies throughout the engagement.
